


Breathe

by Aurelie (NowImJustSomebodyThat)



Series: To Come Back To [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Because Doomsday ripped my heart out thanks, F/F, F/M, Fix-It, Multi, Post-Canon Fix-It, canon character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 00:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2830973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NowImJustSomebodyThat/pseuds/Aurelie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Clara tells the truth, the Doctor tells the truth and River Song saw this coming.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breathe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [poppycurls](https://archiveofourown.org/users/poppycurls/gifts).



> HI!  
> This is for the lovely raxacoricofallapotato, as part of a DW gift exchange because why not. Funny story though this was meant to go on Tumblr and I can't go on Tumblr. At all. Sorry guys, I hecked up.  
> I want to get the rest of this up by New Year's Day, but stuff has happened and I might not be able to meet this deadline.  
> BUT I STILL HAVE SOMETHING  
> The character death is a canon one, don't worry

River Song was - and is - a genius. That was a fact. It was as true as the blue of the midday sky on Earth, and as true as the tears on Clara Oswald’s face as Danny Pink died for the second time. And so, as Clara followed him into the TARDIS, eyes red and single heart pounding a fearsome tempo in her chest, the Doctor reached for the draw where he kept Her things.  
  
He slid the draw open, a draw hidden away underneath the TARDIS console, marked with her name in Gallifreyan, and in English. He rummaged around the compartment, hands skimming over the diary he had kept, still bound in the red ribbon it had been tied with in the Library, the tiny locket she had given him in Asgard, inset with pearl and stardust, and the photograph of Amy, Rory and River to grab a folded slip of paper in the back. He pulled it out, and unfolded it before thrusting it towards Clara. “Here.”, He said, eyes at his feet.  
  
“What is it?”, Clara asked, taking the slip from the Doctor’s palm.  
  
"River Song gave it to me. Said I'd need it one day, but I think you need it more than I do.", He replied, and Clara shook her head.  
  
"That doesn't answer my question, Doctor. What is it?"  
  
"An equation. River designed it herself, she told me it could turn back time, without the repercussions of holes in time and space and such. In theory, it could be used to change fixed points.", He explained.  
  
"And you want me to have it? Why?", Clara questioned, hand ghosting over the equation.  
  
"Why do you think Clara? Every man has his demons, and don't you think that P.E would try to stop one from haunting him?", The Doctor sighed,"Clara, I really don’t think he’s going to come back. Not the way you’re thinking. You need a back up.”  
  
_-_-_-_-_  
  
This Afterlife was incredibly different to the fake one; it wasn’t a sprawling city with towers touching the heavens, it looked a lot more like London instead, Danny had noticed when he woke up in the graveyard. There was nobody there; the graveyard was empty, no cars passed the streets surrounding the block, not even a bird in the dying tree a few rows back. Complete silence. He got up, slowly, feeling the phantom wires of the Cyberman suit even though the entry points were not there. His skin was smooth, as if he had never died, no scars, no wounds, no anything to remind him of the emotionless moments he had spent.  
  
He took a few steps, three, five, nine, before finally, finally, seeing the first person. “Hello?”, He called, and the person turned.  
  
“Ah! Danny Pink! I’ve been expecting you.”, The woman - definitely a woman, if the voice was anything to go by - called, waving one arm at him. She took a few steps towards him, before breaking out into a sprint, as if walking was much too slow for the occasion. Her blonde curls bounced behind her as she ran, with the bottom of her jacket flapping in a similar fashion.  
  
“How do you know my name? I’ve never seen you in my life?”, Danny asked as the woman skidded to a stop in front of him.  
  
“Well, Mr Pink, spoilers.”, She grinned. “Come on, the others are waiting.”  
  
“Others? What others?”  
  
“You have a lot of questions Mr Pink. I’ll answer them when we get there.”, She grabbed his hand and began pulling him towards the entrance of the graveyard. When he didn’t move, she sighed and looked him square in the eye. “Look, I can’t say I understand what it’s like being partially converted into a cyberman, but I do know some things. Like watching the love of your life watch you die. Like relying on a man in a blue box to save the day because nothing ever prepared you for this. Like throwing yourself in the path of destruction because if there is one millionth of a percent of a chance that your love survives if you die, and then you die because damn it all if they’re gone and you’re still here.”, She said in one breath, “Mr Pink, I understand that this is hard for you, it was hard for all of us. But you need to understand that we can help you.”  
  
“Why would I need help? I’m stuck here!”, Danny yelled, “There’s no way I’m going back when that boy is still here.”  
  
The woman sighed, brushed a curl away from her face, and smiled.”Of course you won’t go back. The Doctor knows that, but Clara doesn’t. And she wants you back, Danny. You need to go to her.”  
  
“How do you know Clara?”, Danny asked, and the woman laughed.  
  
“Oh, sweetie, I met her a few times. We had tea, chatted a bit, you know, some old friends of the Doctor talking about life outside the box. The usual.” A phantom of a wind blew through the graveyard, and although it felt like nothing, it felt like ice was coating Danny’s veins. He shivered involuntarily, and the woman nodded. “Afterlife does that. Kind of like telling us to get a move on. Shall we?” She offered her arm, and Danny accepted it. They walked towards the exit, and just as they were about to step onto the path, the scene shifted into a dining hall, with one long table which seemed to be longer than the room. The table was filled with foods, the tantalising scents filling the room, and the sound of laughter and conversation floated towards the duo.  
  
“How did we get here?”, Danny turned to the woman, who smiled.  
  
“The Afterlife is incredibly complicated, Danny, I suggest you just accept it.”, She answered, before waving at the people halfway down the table. It was less of a greeting, but more of a signal, like a ‘hello-yes-I-am-here-let’s-go’ instead of a “hello-hi-haven’t-seen-you-in-a-while’. People began standing up and moving towards the pair, people of all races, appearances and maybe a few different species (if the green-scaled woman was anything to go by).  
  
“This is him, huh?”, A red-headed woman asked, “I can see why.” She held out her hand, “Amy Williams.” Danny shook her hand with a smile. “How’d you die?”, Her question was sudden, and Danny froze.  
  
“What? Is that the way things go here; How’d you die, when did you die, so on and so forth?”, He hissed, and Amy groaned. She turned to the blonde, “River, didn’t you explain it to him?”  
  
River smiled, “I told him I’d answer all his questions once we got settled. Obviously, that never came up.”, She turned to him. “Mr Pink, you’re going to have to answer Ms Williams.”  
  
“Cyberman, I-I got turned into a Cyberman, after I died. T-The first time, I mean. It’s complicated.”, He groaned, and Amy laughed.  
  
“It always is, Danny, it always is with the Doctor.”, She beckoned to a chair, and it slid out. "Have a seat, Danny. We need to get you home, and that might take a while."


End file.
